On the weekend I turned 76, a lot happened. Of course, I got older and with that naturally comes thoughts of aging and mortality. I assure you those thoughts were not morbid, and that’s part of the point of this blog post. A number of other things recently happened that I find unsettling:
The stock market plunged over the last three trading days, giving our investments a major hit and leaving the worldwide financial future very uncertain.
The Middle East is bracing for a much broader war, and while we pray for peace, that answer seems much further off now.
A deadly hurricane is sweeping through Florida and other southern states.
Our upcoming elections seem to be making folks on both sides very nervous.
Locally, fires burn in Colorado, while in California (near our last home) the Park fire burned thousands of acres of land, destroying many structures, including all the structures on property owned by dear friends.
On a more personal level, a dear friend, who was working on our roof, in order to help us, fell off the ladder, resulting in a concussion and three broken ribs. We hope that he will be released soon from the hospital (as of Monday, August 5). Also, a very dear sister, without any medical warning symptoms, suffered a mild stroke. She is doing well, but it puts much of their future up in the air.
So much of life is uncertain! So much can suddenly change. Politics, finances, weather, accidents, medical issues, and natural disasters can quickly turn our lives upside down. Conventional wisdom tells us that only two things, death and taxes, are certain. But conventional wisdom is not faithful wisdom. Sixty-six years ago, on Tuesday, August 5, 1958, at about 2PM, I was baptized into the Messiah, Jesus. This initiated, by the power of God, certainty! That’s why I’m far from morbid about aging. I know that I’m just closer every day.
A hymn was written in 1787, and while the name of the writer is uncertain, its message is certain and powerful. The fifth stanza is left off most hymn books, but I love it more all the time!
1 “How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
2 “Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.”
3 “When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”
4 “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”
5 “E’en down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And then, when grey hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.”
6 “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!”
Tim Kelley